June 8 (Bloomberg) -- Christopher “Dudus” Coke, a
Jamaican convicted of heading an international narcotics-trafficking ring since the early 1990s, was sentenced to
23 years in prison by a federal judge in New York.

Coke pleaded guilty in August to racketeering conspiracy
and conspiracy to commit assault with a dangerous weapon in aid
of racketeering. He was arrested by Jamaican authorities and was
brought to the U.S. in June 2010. The arrest sparked civil
unrest in Coke’s neighborhood, and some residents wrote to the
court seeking leniency for him.

“I’m a good person and I’ve done a lot of good deeds,”
Coke told U.S. District Judge Robert Patterson in Manhattan
today. Patterson said Coke’s criminal conduct offset any good
behavior he might have considered.

Prosecutors in the office of Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet
Bharara said that since the early 1990s, Coke led the
“Presidential Click” or the “Shower Posse,” a criminal
enterprise based in Kingston, Jamaica, known to have members in
the U.S. and other countries.

Prosecutors said that since 1994, members of the
Presidential Click were involved in drug trafficking in New
York, Miami and Jamaica, distributing marijuana, cocaine and
crack cocaine at Coke’s direction.

Sealed Charges

Coke was indicted in 2007 and the charges remained sealed
until his arrest. He was accused of conspiring to distribute
cocaine and marijuana and plotting to illegally traffic in
firearms.

After Coke’s arrest, violence broke out as gang members and
Coke’s supporters clashed with Jamaican security forces,
resulting in the deaths of about 70 people. According to
prosecutors, residents of Kingston’s Tivoli Gardens neighborhood
sent a petition to the judge seeking leniency for Coke.

“Coke’s ability to provide financial support to members
and institutions in the community is inextricably linked to his
narcotics trafficking activity,” Assistant U.S. Attorney
Jocelyn Strauber said in court papers. “There can be no dispute
that narcotics trafficking activities also served as a source of
funds for him, and thus for his charitable activities.”

The case is U.S. v. Coke, 07-cr-971, U.S. District Court,
Southern District of New York (Manhattan).